Minimum size container? Are (5) gal. buckets too small?
 

There's been discussion in the past about what experienced growers believe to be the "minimum" size container for growing toms.

Currently I have (2) plants per 18 gal. tote, however, the totes are aging & I'm looking to rebuild for next year. Can I do well w. (5) gal. buckets or do I really need at least 10 gal. per plant? what is the min. size for maximizing yield in a container?

Thanks in advance for sharing your expertise.

If by 5 gallon buckets you mean 5 liquid gallons like a home depot bucket then yes that size is more than sufficient. If they are 5 gallon nursery pots they will still work but you will have to keep up on your fertilization. I use the 5 gallon nursery pots and do just fine. Depending on variety you may need more or less area for roots to grow.

Thank you Heriloomtomaguy --- seems like 5 gal construction buckets is the way to go --- I cannot help but think that \ I have (2) plants in an (18) gal tote that they manage to fight for space, (some leaf curl on certain varieties - cherokee purple) despite the total volume >5 gal. per plant.

Well, it also depends on what you're a growing. I think 5 gal. is a little small for a baobab tree.

[IMG]http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs157/1102631205557/img/301.jpg[/IMG]

But it's overkill for a dwarf tom.

The thing is, most plants will limit their size to the available root ball. So 5 gal. will do. But if you want BIG plants then you have to give them a LOT of dirt.

This is my first year growing tomatoes in 5 gallon buckets, and they are HUGE. Started each bucket with 1 cup dolomite lime, 2 cups Plant-Tone (thanks, Worth!) and one cup Biotone starter fertilizer. I used the 5 gal. white buckets sold at Tractor Supply (white because I wanted to keep roots cool/er.) My planting mix consisted of 50% Garden Magic Compost/Manure (mostly peat with bird manure, I think), 25% perlite, 25% pine bark nuggets (small chips) from Home Depot. Tomatoes are pumping out full-size, but still green. I have to water every day, but it's working great!

Full disclosure: my in-ground tomatoes each got 1/3 bag Garden Magic Compost/Manure, 1 cup dolomite, 2 cups Plant Tone, 1 cup Biotone. They are growing larger and more productive than the ones in buckets, but what the heck, the buckets are doing great! First full-size tomato to ripen was Brandywine Sudduth of all things. That's supposed to be one of my latest varieties...go figure. It was tasty, too.

I grew eggplant last year in 5 gallon buckets, also. They did far better than I'd ever had luck with growing in ground. This year, I used the same mix as above, my plants are 4 ft. high and have been harvesting eggplant for 4 weeks now. I used the dark blue buckets from Lowes since they seem to love having hot bottoms. I can vouch for that given their size, and everything seems to thrive on the Plant Tone. I have given a couple of intermittent feedings of Texas Tomato food to everything, but not sure that was needed.

I am growing a large variety of peppers in 3.8 gal. black nursery containers, with same mix as above, and they too are happy and super-productive. The peppers, too, seem to like the containers much better than in-ground.

Hope this helps.:D:dizzy:

[QUOTE] My planting mix consisted of 50% Garden Magic Compost/Manure (mostly peat with bird manure, I think), 25% perlite, 25% pine bark nuggets (small chips) [/QUOTE]

That seems like a fairly permeable mix so no wonder that it needs watering frequently. Last big toms I grew (San Marzano) were in 5:2:1 bark/MGMC/perlite and they wanted soaking morning and sometime evening -- in 10 (15?) gal pots!

For a first year grower, sounds like you're doing great! Keep it up.

follow-up question ---- do any of you cut holes in the pots for aeration? I've seen some folks doing this, wondering if it's worth it?

[QUOTE=nniemiec;580592]follow-up question ---- do any of you cut holes in the pots for aeration? I've seen some folks doing this, wondering if it's worth it?[/QUOTE]

The only holes I drilled were for drainage. Four 1/2" diameter holes, each placed 1-1 1/2 inches from the bottom of the bucket. I usually run the water till I can see it coming out the holes. Once a day watering even in this recent heat, with daytime temps to 90 degrees. So far, so good.:surprised:

TC Manhattan - do you have pics to share - I'd value seeing the diff in growth b/t your 5 gal buckets vs. your in-ground production. Thanks for the intel!

The vast majority of my containers are the 5 gallon buckets - everything in them is growing well. My best growth is coming from the recyclable shopping bags in some bus pans with a hole about 1.5 inches up. I have a Pink Brandywine in one, an Ichiban eggplant in one, and for kicks, 2 black beauty eggplant in one, too.

Those plants are the most vigorous out of all of my plants - most productive eggplant, too.

the buckets i use from menards are actually 6 gallon liquid,(unless i lost count lol) i put holes in them this year because i went with the rain gutter self watering system, i had just buckets last year sitting in trays and had to water them many times a day, drilling wasn't too bad, as i emptied the buckets and cleaned them as the plants died i only did a few each day or so.then they were ready for this year, here are what they look like now, was gone for 6 days and the cherry tomatoes got a bit out of hand lol, somewhere in this mess are 3 pepper plants that aren't doing to well as far as fruit goes, not enough sun i guess, they are trying to fight their way to the top though.---tom

[QUOTE=encore;580838]the buckets i use from menards are actually 6 gallon liquid,(unless i lost count lol) i put holes in them this year because i went with the rain gutter self watering system, i had just buckets last year sitting in trays and had to water them many times a day, drilling wasn't too bad, as i emptied the buckets and cleaned them as the plants died i only did a few each day or so.then they were ready for this year, here are what they look like now, was gone for 6 days and the cherry tomatoes got a bit out of hand lol, somewhere in this mess are 3 pepper plants that aren't doing to well as far as fruit goes, not enough sun i guess, they are trying to fight their way to the top though.---tom[/QUOTE]

Tom, that is a sexy setup. Nice.

i've got beefsteak---mountain merit---celebrity---red rose--burpee early girl--- bush early girl--and bielieve it or not, planted in the row behind this one.---tom

bush early girl seeds are getting trashed, two plants and the fruit is red but hard like a rock, taste store bought. just like 2 years ago, should have learned my lesson but had to give them one more chance. lol--tom

RGGs jungle looking great!

5 gal is sufficient.

As stated before, it's not about the volume, more about your consistency in delivering nutrition and hydration.

If you feel like experimenting, place a few rootpots in a kiddie pool or some other container that allows them to have their feet wet 24/7. Cucumbers, tomatoes, and some peppers love it.